What I Read: April ’19

Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols: This was a recommendation from a good friend and it is honestly life changing. Nichols’ recommendation on diet (before, during and after pregnancy) are founded on science and her tone is approachable and honest. I found it fairly easy to integrate the foods she suggests to add in but have struggled to remove some of the things she recommends removing.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton: I listened to this mystery and found it to become more and more engaging as I got further into it! It plays on the murder mystery trope in some really interesting ways and I did not see all the twists coming. 5/5 stars!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens: I loved the lyricalness of this book but found it’s main premise a bit farfetched. I see way it’s popular right now and am glad I’ve read it.

Shut Up and Run by Robin Arzon: This was for book club! I found this really motivating (which is hard in the back half of pregnancy) and cannot wait to get out and run again. There is not a lot that is new if you are an experienced runner, which having run my first (and so far, only) full marathon 10 years ago…I am now. Yikes!

There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk: Another mom from my Internet Group of Moms was reading this and I liked the title. There is a lot that is structurally different in Sweden to enable more time spent outdoors but the spirit of this book is definitely something M and I strive to bring into our home.

The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar: I have literally no idea how this ended up on my To Read Goodreads list but I am so glad it did! I also listened to the audiobook of this (mostly pre-concussion) and really enjoyed it. The writing is captivating and the way Joukhadar interwove the two main narratives is magnificent. It is a wonderful, if heart-wrenching, epic for our modern refugee crisis.

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger: I asked for this for Christmas and am so glad to have read it. I asked M approximately 100 times if the town in Minnesota is real. I found this tale to be tightly contained, engaged and filled with characters I was rooting for. I would highly recommend this work of modern fiction.

Witches, Witch Hunting and Women by Silvia Federici: Oof da. This book. It is a collection of essays and explores the mechanisms capitalism used/is using to turn women into witches into order to remove barriers to wealth accumulation. It was a frightening and impossible to put down read. My favorite book of the month – I definitely learn the most!